Ampicillin Dosage in Pediatric Patients

Introduction to Dosage

The recommended dosage of ampicillin for pediatric patients is 100-200 mg/kg/day divided every 6 hours for infants and children, as suggested by the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1

For neonates with postnatal age ≤7 days and weight ≤2000 g, the dosage is 50 mg/kg/day divided every 12 hours, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics 1, 2
For neonates with postnatal age ≤7 days and weight >2000 g, the dosage is 75 mg/kg/day divided every 8 hours, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics 1, 2
For neonates with postnatal age >7 days and weight <1200 g, the dosage is 50 mg/kg/day divided every 12 hours, as suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics 1, 2
For neonates with postnatal age >7 days and weight 1200-2000 g, the dosage is 75 mg/kg/day divided every 8 hours, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics 1, 2
For neonates with postnatal age >7 days and weight >2000 g, the dosage is 100 mg/kg/day divided every 6 hours, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics 1, 2

For community-acquired pneumonia in fully immunized children with minimal local penicillin resistance, ampicilina is the first-line treatment, as suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics 4, 5

For pneumonia caused by penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, the dosage is 300-400 mg/kg/day every 6 hours by parenteral route, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America 4
For infections caused by Streptococcus Group A, the dosage is 200 mg/kg/day every 6 hours by intravenous route, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics 4

Clinical improvement is expected within 48-72 hours of starting adequate therapy, as suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics 4
If no improvement is observed, alternative diagnoses or resistant organisms should be considered, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America 4